6 myths that prevent developers from using Git

Now you can hardly find a professional developer who does not use a version control system (VCS) such as Git.
But there are not a few of those among us who do not use VCS due to a prejudiced opinion about version control systems.
Below are a few myths and excuses that prevent the implementation of a Git developer (or any other VCS) into the workflow of the developer.

Myth 1: I don't need Git because I back up my files

Regular backups of your work are undoubtedly a good habit. I recommend to leave this habit even when you use Git.

But Git gives you a lot more advantages compared to just backing up your files.
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Without VCS you will encounter some problems.

How do you call your backups? If you are a very organized person, then you could use some kind of clear name system acme-inc-redesign_2013-11-12_v23.html . However, any deviation from this concept of naming will quickly lead to confusion and, quite possibly, to problems with your code.
Let a system like Git worry about these little things so that you can focus on what you do best - write code.

What part of the job save? Only modified files or the whole project? In the first case, it would be difficult to see the full picture of the version / version of your project at any given time. In the second case, where you regularly make backup copies of the entire code, you will have a huge number of backups on the entire hard disk and the more files, the greater the complexity.

The most important problem Git solves is probably the following:

How to find out the difference between backups? Very few people spend time carefully documenting every change they make. But Git "implies" that there is only one project. All the rest (old versions and variants) are neatly hidden in the server part of the version control system and are available at any time when they are needed. And when you need them, you can request any version at any time and you will always have a copy of the complete project at hand.

In addition, you can with great accuracy find out what changes were in each file. You can tell which lines were added, which were deleted, which were changed - which means that the processes of bug-tracing, emergency rollbacks to a stable or intermediate version of the project become easier.

Myth 2: Git is too complicated to bother

People often overestimate how much Git needs to know in order to get all the benefits from it. This is so if you need to spend a lot of time to immerse yourself in the nuances of Git and commands for extremely rare cases - in fact, Git is an extremely flexible and powerful system. But it’s also true that you can work productively with Git and use most of its functionality from just a handful of commands.

Yes, it takes a little bit of work to learn something new - you can't get away from it - but the benefits that you get when you start using Git significantly exceed the time and effort spent in sorting it out.

Learning Git will improve the quality of your projects, as well as efficiency and productivity as a developer. In addition, you can collaborate with other developers in a more systematic and reliable way, providing even greater development productivity for you and your team.

Myth 3: Git for development teams only

Distributed version control systems like Git or Mercurial allow you to work directly on the local computer. If you have a project in which you do not work with someone jointly, it is quite possible to perform all tasks directly on your computer. Git provides the same benefits for a single developer as for a team.

You do not need a remote server or hosting to use Git and all its useful features.

But it is worth noting that the use of remote hosting code of the GitHub type makes sense even if you are a single developer, in this case you will always have external copies of your code in the event of a computer crash or loss, or to securely synchronize your project between several computers (perhaps you have a working laptop and a personal computer at home that you use for development). However, this is not at all necessary, it is just one of the advantages.

The benefits that Git provides remain the same and it does not matter whether you work in a team or alone.

Myth 4: Command line is too complicated

You do not need to be a command line interface (CLI) expert to use Git. In fact, most developers will need very few teams.

You can learn the most important Git commands in less than an evening: we created a guide called Command Line 101 that you can read to learn about the CLI and how it relates to Git - this is part of our free online book, Learn to Revise with Git : A Walkthrough Guide for Absolute Beginners . "

But let's say, a handful of core teams are still busting for you, and any contacts with the CLI. Or maybe you signed the agreement with your friend never to use the command line again, or for some reason you just can't use the CLI. You can still use Git through graphical user interface (GUI) applications. If you're on Windows, I would recommend you take a look at Tortoise Git . On Mac OS, you can look at Tower , an application that my Fournova company has developed.

Even for users who have no problems with the command line, the GUI could improve performance even further by making some Git tasks easier.

Myth 5: I'm afraid I'll break something

Everything should be quite the opposite: you should be afraid to break something if you do not use the version control system, because without it, it is difficult to track all your steps and code changes.

Version control is your safety net. When everything goes out of order, we can easily roll back to the previous stable version.

Using Git you can:

undo local changes (partially or completely)
restore any version if something goes wrong
undo the effect of any changes made in the past

And I would like to note that in my opinion the most important feature of Git: branches.

Branching provides us with a secure ecosystem, completely separated from other parts of our development project, in order to test new features. This gives us the opportunity to experiment with new code, to see and test the effects of any code changes, giving us confidence that we will not affect anything outside of the current branch.

Myth 6: Git is over-advertised, it’s just another fashion trend that will disappear

Of course, Git is really not the only existing version control system. There are many other VCS, which can also be considered and each has its own merits.

But it’s not by chance that large projects such as jQuery, Rail and Linux Kernel rely on Git for version control and collaboration on code.

For projects related to the Git code, at the moment, the best of what is. And here are some reasons why Git is a good choice.

Functional
Of course, Git's functionality and its philosophy are the most valuable things users have to offer: a great branch model, the ability to work autonomously, and the concept of a region of prepared files are just some of those basic features that help developers be productive, creative, and efficient.

Popularity and vitality
Being popular and widely available is important for any system. Popularity means that there are communities willing to help you get started with the system.

And when you have to work on code in a team, it’s likely that your team members already know how to use Git .

In addition, being a popular VCS, Git becomes attractive for third-party developers and provides support tools and services (for example GitHub), which could further extend the capabilities of working with Git.

The popularity also ensures that Git, as an open source project , will not disappear in the near future - which is an important factor for developers thinking about whether to trust an open project or not in the long term.

Official Git Page (2014)

Availability of high quality educational materials
Still nothing was easier than starting Git. To date, there are tons of documentation, tutorials, videos, and manuals for this VCS.

Here are some resources to help you get started with Git.

Why aren't you using git yet?
Yes, yes, this is me to you: what is holding you back from using Git-based version control? Let us know in the comments!

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/231839/

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